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As a member or guest of TCRA, your input is a valuable part of the process. We welcome your comments and suggestions. If you wish to send us written correspondence, the mailing address is P.O. Box 135, Brunswick, TN 38014. Telephone inquiries, please call 901.388.8151.

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President's Message

By Dana Webb, TCRA President

WOW!! What an exciting time for our profession right now. There is so much going on and it’s time for us all to get out, get excited and get involved!!

We’re only a few days away from Court Reporting and Captioning Week. There are so many things you can do to celebrate this amazing time of recognition in our profession. TCRA will be sending out different opportunities for you to get involved and actually make a difference during this Court Reporting and Captioning Week. Whether you’re a captioner, a freelancer, a CART provider or an official, make this week a great week of showing off what we do – introduce people to the world of court reporting, even share it on your personal Facebook page and other social outlets, so that others can be inspired by your enthusiasm.

Another way that TCRA is spreading the word about Court Reporting during Court Reporting and Captioning Week is by making our presence known in Nashville at the Tennessee General Assembly for TCRA’s Day on the Hill. We will have volunteers working a booth on Tuesday, February 13th from 9 to 4:30. This is a way for us to show legislators what we do and how valuable our services are. If you are interested in volunteering to work the booth, please e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to get involved.

So please, don’t just sit back and think to yourself that others will step up to the plate and take our profession to the next level. Get involved. Get out there and show the world what a great career this can be.

Remember, there is a 5,200 court reporting shortage anticipated for 2018. If we don’t make our voices heard, our profession known, our importance recognized, we may find ourselves competing with technology other than the wonder of a steno machine. Speak up and show out. Court Reporting, at any level, in any arena, is a profession to be proud of.

Happy Court Reporting and Captioning Week. Go make a difference!!

Sincerely,

Dana

P.S. Don’t forget to mark your calendars now for the TCRA Annual Convention being held June 1st and 2nd at the Four Points Sheraton in Brentwood. Your convention committee is hard at work planning a great agenda with some wonderful speakers and fun activities. It will also be a great way to network with your fellow court reporters from across the Great State of Tennessee as well as our neighboring states.

TBCR vs. TCRA - What’s the Difference?

The Tennessee Court Reporters Association (TCRA) was founded in 1949. Our association is a volunteer organization made up of an Executive Board and, also, comprises two Directors from each of the three divisions of our state.

Per our current bylaws:

The members of this Association shall strive to establish and maintain a proper standard of proficiency in the profession of court reporting, to establish and maintain a proper standard of professional ethics, to promote friendly interaction and good feeling among the members of the Association, to promote enactment of just and equitable laws upon the subject of court reporting, to protect the public against the imposition of incompetent and unethical court reporters, and to promote by all proper and lawful means, and consistent with the public interest, the legitimate interests of professional court reporters in the State of Tennessee.

Tenn. Code Ann. § 20-9-604 established the Tennessee Board of Court Reporting (TBCR). According to the TBCR website: Beginning July 1, 2010, court reporters must be licensed to engage in court reporting in the state of Tennessee. This board will issue court reporter licenses, conduct disciplinary inquiries for ethical violations, ensure completion of continuing education requirements and maintain a registry of court reporters.

Your TCRA Board has always and will continue to bring our members the most current and up-to-date court reporting information and news available as we receive it. As our members are aware, our avenues of communication are varied: annual conventions, regional seminars, e-blasts, website, quarterly newsletters, Facebook page, and Twitter! Our state association can boast and be proud that we are one of the few state associations in the country that is so technologically advanced.

The TBCR was established to prescribe the qualifications of court reporters and to issue licenses to persons who demonstrate their ability and fitness for the licenses. If anyone has a question about licensure, continuing education guidelines, reporting guidelines, inactive status, or reporter complaints, your questions must be directed to the TBCR.